Knockdown furniture.



T. A. GELB/WT.

Kwomnowm FURNITURE.

PPLICM'ION HLED MAR. 8, 19H3,

Pacntd May 8, 19N..

727.5 @Hoz meu,

9 f W Q, o0 MAI/ @FEQ THEOPHIL'US GELBART, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

KNOCKDGWN FURNITURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 191'?.

application mea March e, 191e. serial-N0. 82,802.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, TH-EorHrLUs A. GEL- BART, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing in the borough and county of Bronx, city and 4State of New York, have invented new and useful llmprovements in Knockdown Furniture, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to knock down furniture, and it is the object of the invention to provide an improved coupling or connecting member to connect the component parts of a piece of furniture and rigidly maintain said parts in assembled position and also permit of the ready disassembling of the parts, whereby to provide a structure which may be shipped in a compact package and which may be assembled by an unskilled person into a rigid structure and without the use of any securing means, such as screws or the like.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification Figure 1 is Iperspective view of a portion of a bedstead showing` an embodiment of my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the coupling or connecting member.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the component parts of the structure shown in Fig. 1 disassembled; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing a modification.

Similar characters of reference designate like parts throughout the different views of the drawing.

While I-have shown my invention for the purposes of illustration in connection with a bedstead it will be obvious that the invention may be applied with equal facility to other pieces of furniture.

The embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing consists of a tubular member 5, substantially rectangular in cross section with one side open, as at 6, said member 5 being,` adapted torsupport and rigidly connecting a part, such as the pillar or post 7 of a bedstead, to extend upwardly, and a part, such as the leg 8 of a bedstead, to extend from the lower end. The part 5 is adapted to carry a component part of a piece of furniture, in the present instance the side rail 9 of a bedstead, when the same is assembled and consists of a pair of perforated ears 10 extending laterally between 55 which the rail 9` engages and is ixed thereto permanently by a pin or rivet or screw.

The post 7 and leg 8 are adapted to be inserted into the coupling member 5 through the opening 6 in the side, and to prevent longitudinal displacement of the post section 7 it has a recess 11 extending around three sides to form opposite shoulders 12 and 13, the shoulder 12 when the post is inserted into the coupling abutting against the top of the coupling member 5 so that said three sides of the post will be flush with the sides of the coupling, (Fig. 3) and the shoulder 13 abutting against a shoulder 14 formed by an undercut or recessed portion 15 in the inner wall of the sides of the coupling, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The post is so proportioned that the side 16 will be flush with the inner side walls of opposite recesses 17 in the coupling 5 for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

fllhe leg 8 is formed with a recess 18 to provide 'opposite shoulders 19 and 20, the shoulder 20 to abut against the lower end of the coupling 5 and the shoulder 19 to abut against al shoulder 21 formed by the recess 15 in the coupling member. The said leg may also have a shoulder 22 to abut against the lower end of the coupling to be flush with the open side. If desired the post and leg may be constructed of one piece as shown in Fig. 4.

To lock the post and leg sections in the coupling there is provided a locking member 23 of T-shape in cross section adapted to slidably engage in the recesses or guideways 17 with the side 24 flush with the post and leg sections, and the outer side 25 con stituting a closure for the open side of the coupling. rThe lockingmember is fixed to the end of a component part of a piece of furniture, to be carried thereby, shown as comprising a lower transverse rail 26 of the bedstead, and for which purpose the locking member has a pair of laterally extending perforated ears 27 between which the end of the rail 2,6 engages and is fixed thereto by a rivet or screw engaging in the perforations of the ears. The bottom end of the `locking member engages with and may be supported by the shoulder 22 on the leg; or if desired the portions engaging in the recesses 17 may converge or incline inwardly from the top to the bottom to form a lvvedge, and the recesses 17 may be formed of a corresponding shape. By this .constructionit will be readily understoodthat the 'recesses 17 will serveto support the locking member. To complete the structure of the bedstead the top ofthe post has an opening for the engagement .of a split resilient member or 1 pin 28 carried at-one end ofy a transverse rail 29 tomemovably secure said end of the rail to the post. rlhe rails 26 and 29 may have oppositely disposed openings for 'the engagement of rods 30. It is to be understood that' lin the complete construction ot the bedstead there Will of course be the usual four posts and legsc'am'iedbythe couplings 5 to whichv the two side rails 9v and the transl verse rails 26 are connected, the locking membersfQB being connected to the opposite ends of the rail 26. l

In the modification shown in Fig. 4. there is shown a structure in which the post 'and leg sections are of' an integral structure having 'an undercut -portion to form shoulders 12 and 20. anda reduced portion 13 to engage in the clamping' member 5 so vthat the outerface of the Walls of said member will be flush With thev Walls of a post and leg, and the post and leg sections are rey.

tamed Within the tubular member by the locking member 24 ada ted to also carrya component vpart of a be stead or other furniture.

Variations may beV resorted to Within the co e of my invention.

laving thus descrlbed my invention,

1 ,A device for releasably,l connecting the` component parts of furniture, comprising a tubular member having a longitudinal opening with opposite transverse shoulders formed in the `inner Wall to coperate` with Shoulders formed on parts adapted to be inserted into the tubular member through the longitudinal opening to prevent endWise displacement of Vsaid'pai: 'ts, opposite recesses in the sides yof the tubular member adjacent the sides of the opening, and a locking member to slidably engage in said recesses, substantially as and for the purpose speciied.

l 2. A; device for releasablyconnecting-component parts of furniture, comprising a tubular member having a longitudinal open lng, opposite transverse shoulders in the inner Wall of said member to coperate with shoulders formed on parts adapted to be inserted into the tubular member through the longitudinal opening tovprevent endwise displacement of the parts, and a pair of ears projectingllaterally from one side of said member, and a locking member having latery ally projecting ears adapted to slidably engage in the opening in the tubular member, substantially as and yfor the purpose specibular member having a longitudinal opening in the side Wall communicating With the bore of said member and through which opening a component part or parts of furniture a're adapted tovbe inserted into the tubular member to project from oppositeends, and said tubular member having means exterior thereof for the connection of another part of furniture, anda member having a' releasalole connection with the tubular member adjacent the opening to close said openin and lock the component part or parts of urniture therein andA having means exterior thereof to connect a component part of, furniture thereto.

frnioPHILUs A. ',GELBART; 

